During the discussion in the House of Representatives on immigration precipitated by Congressman Dickstein’s speech attacking registration of aliens, Representative Knutson, of Minnesota, the Republican “whip,” charged that before the present immigration act was passed, “concentration” camps were organized in some European countries to coach immigrants to answer the questions that would be propounded to them by immigration officials on reaching the United States.
Representative Knutson made the still more weird accusation that “the people who operated those concentration camps” would give the immigrants money with which to enter Ellis Island, and after the aliens were admitted, “that money was taken from them and sent back to Europe and used over again. That system was a fraud.”
According to Knutson, he obtained this information on a visit to Europe, during which he claims he conferred with consuls, and also made an investigation at Ellis Island upon his return to the United States. Upon being challenged by Congressman Dickstein with the blunt statement that “the gentleman does not know anything about it,” Knutson insisted he was correct, declaring “I know the truth of what I have stated.”
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